Nahum 1:7

Verse of the Day: Nahum 1:7

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” – Nahum 1:7

This is another verse that speaks of the Lord watching out for His own.  However, those who are enemies of His or His own He will address.  Look at verses 2-3.  “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.  The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. “These verses show that He will not quickly become angry, however, if they do not turn to Him, they will suffer great consequences.

We who are His children, will be protected.  He watches over us and when we find ourselves in trouble, He is our stronghold.  Think of a great fortress where evil people are doing all they can to get to us, yet we are inside with no fear; knowing they cannot get to us.  When the enemy comes against us, having placed our whole life in His hands, he will never reach us for the Lord is our stronghold and fortress.  Always remember, when the enemy comes against us, we will overcome through the power of God.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Psalm 9:9

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 9:9

“The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble;” – Psalm 9:9  

We all go through trials from time to time.  Times when we feel oppressed by someone or something, such as a government or corporation, or anything that brings anxiety to our lives.  The writer of this psalm, David, experienced this many times, especially during the period where Saul was king over Israel.  It is important that we realize that God is not unaware of our circumstances.  He is well aware of what we are going through and is there the help us through it.

The Lord is our stronghold and refuge.  This term refers to a place at a great height or altitude.  It is a place which is not accessible by our enemies or where they can see us; a secure place that provides protection from danger.  Note the wording.  He does not take us to a refuge, He is our refuge.  He states in another verse a similar idea.  “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:2-3.  And again, “They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death. But the LORD has been my stronghold, And my God the rock of my refuge.” Psalm 94:22.

And God wants us to do the same.  He wants us to trust in Him completely during times of trial, anxiety and oppression.  Call out to Him.  We must go to our prayer closets or other quiet place and call out to Him for help.  In fact, we must always focus on the Lord, for when we do it becomes easier to be at peace.  One of my favorite verses regarding this idea is also written by David in the psalms.  “I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:18.  David continually kept himself in the presence of the Lord, and this is how we must live as well. At all times, day and night.  During our private meditations as well as our public professions.  It must become a natural position for us; humbly in His presence.

Also, note in this verse, ‘He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.’  The right hand was regarded as the post of honor and dignity.  It was also mentioned as a position of defense or protection.  The idea is that to have someone at our right hand is to have someone near us who can defend us.  “For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.” Psalm 109:31.  He will save us from those who pronounce a harsh or wrong judgement against us; from those who condemn us in our innocence.

We must always remember that no matter how difficult things get, we have a place of refuge.  Regardless of how things look, We have a stronghold.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” Psalm 27:1.  We have no reason to fear or be downcast, for we have a God who is on our side and can never be defeated.  We can take comfort in this and praise Him for all His goodness to us throughout our trials.  He will protect us, and who better to place our lives and trust in?

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries, Inc.

Psalm 20:1

Verse of the Day Devotion:  Psalm 20:1 

“May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!” – Psalm 20:1 

Today is New Years Eve, and I want to wish everyone a wonderful 2021.  And because we are moving into a new year, ending one of the more difficult years we have seen in a long time, I pray that everything goes well with you in every way.  This  psalm is a prayer for David who is preparing to go to war.  However, the requests in this prayer can be offered for our sake also, for we are no doubt going into difficult times as we move into the new year, and closer to the day of Christ’s return.  Therefore, this prayer I offer up to God on our behalf.

“May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! May He send you help from the sanctuary And support you from Zion!!” Psalm 20:1.  May God defend us during any trials and hard times which may come our way in the coming year, and may we understand You are always with us, and will never leave us or forsake.  May we always have confidence that nothing can happen that You cannot address for our good.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.  

“May He remember all your meal offerings And find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah.” Psalm 20:3. May You, God, be pleased with all the offerings we present to You; all the labor we do within the church and the light we shine on a world that so needs to hear the truth, all the worship we humbly offer to You, and the life we live in obedience to your will and in assistance to all in need. “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.” Deuteronomy 16:17. 

“May He grant you your heart’s desire And fulfill all your counsel!” Psalm 20:4.  May our heart’s desires be met in a way that helps us do the work You have called us to do.  May our desires be those things that please You and helps us to be strong during difficult times and also helps others work their way through trials as well.  “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4.

“We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.” Psalm 20:5.  May our hearts be filled with joy over all you do for us, and may we declare to all what you Oh Lord have done for us.  May we rejoice and be glad for all of your loving help in all things.  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:4-5

“Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.” Psalm 20:6.  Lord, we thank you for saving us and answering us from your heavenly abode.  That your mighty right hand is always there to protect us from all the enemy’s attacks and ways, and we thank you for the peace this gives us.  “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me, declares the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17,

“Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. They have bowed down and fallen, But we have risen and stood upright.” Psalm 20:7-8.  Lord, may we put our trust in you and not in anything else.  Help us to stand strong and upright because of the trust we have in you that there is nothing that can defeat us with you on our side.  Let us not boast in ourselves but boast in you because you work all things through us for good.  “Thus says the LORD, Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24.

“Save, O LORD; May the King answer us in the day we call.” Psalm 20:9.  Lord, we ask that we hear your answer when we pray and come before you, for you are our king and you provide all the help we need.  We thank you for all the answers you have and will provide us in the coming year.  “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” 1 John 5:14-15.

May this coming year be one where we continue to grow in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  May we always continue to grow closer to Him in all ways, and consistently trust Him that He can bring us through anything that can come our way.  God Bless you all.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Matthew 6:34

Verse of the Day Devotion: Matthew 6:34 

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:34 

One thing I believe we do too often is we look ahead and worry about things that have no correlation with today but are specifically future issues.  We have no surety of what is going to happen in the coming days.  And many times we end up worrying about things that actually never occur.  I have to say when I was younger I fell into this trap, but as I have aged, and realized that this verse is true wisdom,  I now pray every morning that God will guide me through all the problems and issues I have for that day and leave what ‘could’ happen tomorrow for tomorrow.

The idea here is that we should not be concerned about, first, ‘what may happen tomorrow.’  We have no ability to know with surety that anything will happen tomorrow.  However, our God does.  And many times, as stated above, we worry about things in the future that turn out not to happen.  The evil and troubles, the anxiety of each day as it comes is sufficient without stressing ourselves with restless cares about another day.  One day’s troubles is enough to deal with, therefore, we should deal only with the troubles we have today and then be thankful for His help.

Second, we should not be concerned about ‘what we will need tomorrow’.  Now, needs are totally different from wants.  Jesus denoted our needs as the following. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”  Matthew 6:25.  These are our primary needs: food, drink and clothing.  We cannot live without food and drink, and clothing is needed in order to protect us from the elements.  Therefore, we must have these things in order to survive.

In both ideas, we actually have no need to be concerned at all.  In answer to the needs and desires, we read “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:32.  And, “O fear the Lord, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.” Psalm 34:10. It is important that we understand that if we diligently seek His kingdom, and fear and trust God in all our ways, then we have no reason to be concerned.  That is why we should only address those things that are currently happening in the present.  As our focus verse states, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34.  And the way we should address the issues of the day are to, while trusting God for everything, pray fervantly, hear what He says and then follow His leading.  And then have faith in Him because, as Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 46:1

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 46:1 

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1 

This verse to me is one of the most encouraging in all the scriptures.  It tells us that God is a place of safety for us in a world that is filled with danger.  The word ‘refuge’ is from a word meaning to ‘flee’ and then ‘to flee to’.  It has the idea of taking shelter: a place one would flee to in a time of danger.  Earlier in the psalms we read the following from David.  “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm  18:2-3.  And as the last part of the verse states. He is a very present help in our times of trials.

And because He is our refuge, we have no reason to fear.  “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.” Psalm 46:2-3. No matter what may come our way, whatever disaster my come upon us.  He knows everything and is with us at all times.  Therefore, we know that if we are in His presence, we are safe.  As the writer of proverbs puts it, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10. 

This idea is not just in the Old Testament.  Jesus Himself taught this to His disciples.  “On that day, when evening came, He said to them, Let us go over to the other side.  Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.  Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?  And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush, be still. And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.  And He said to them, Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?  They became very much afraid and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:35-41. I believe this was set up as a point of learning, but I will not say this dogmatically.  Here they were with Jesus, the very Son of God.  They had seen Him do many miracles of healing and the casting out of demons.  And now they were in a boat with Him with a powerful storm, they lacked the faith to believe everything was OK.  Jesus was not concerned, for He just continued to sleep peaceably.  But they were afraid and said, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38b.  Then after Jesus rebuked the wind, He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

It is important that we truly grasp the words found in Psalm 46:1.  No matter what comes upon us He is there with us and is our refuge.  Today we are seeing so many instances where people fear what is going to happen to them.  As Christians, we must remember what Paul wrote to the Philippians.  “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21.  He had the confidence that God would address any situation that may come up, whether he lives of dies.  Another way to put this is ‘whatever happens, I win’.  During any trial we happen to endure, we can always run to God as our refuge.  He will either protect us here on earth, or He will take us home.  Either way, as our focus verse says, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.